Qld coronavirus: Annastacia Palaszczuk warns ‘second wave’ could cost $4.8b
Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed there have been no new cases of coronavirus in Queensland in the past 24 hours and defended the border closure as a necessary step to stop the state suffering Victoria’s fate with a second wave.
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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed there have been no new cases of coronavirus in Queensland over the past 24 hours while warning the next four days were critical and a second wave of the virus could cost the state $4 billion.
She said more information on the results of an Ipswich woman who tested positive yesterday would be revealed later today.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles this morning said there was some confusion around the case, with additional testing on the 68-year-old woman coming back with mixed results.
Ms Palaszczuk, who is on the Gold Coast this morning, where she has handed out bakery treats to border volunteers, warned “the next four days are still very crucial” to determine if Queensland had escaped a mass outbreak which was sparked when three women lied about coming to Logan from Victoria.
In the past 24 hours, record levels of testing have been done again with more than 14,000 tests conducted.
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Ms Palaszczuk praised the work of border officers and volunteers and said the tough border move was necessary.
“It only takes one or two people coming into Queensland and we could get something like what is unfolding in Victoria,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
‘If we had a second wave here it would (cost the economy) in excess of $4.8 billion … Queenslanders don’t want to go backwards.”
She said she tried to move the border south ‘a tiny bit’ to allow a common existence between the border communities of Coolangatta and the Tweed but it was rejected by NSW.
During the visit to the Griffith St, Coolangatta, checkpoint earlier, Ms Palaszczuk handed out bakery treats to the officers and volunteers.
She was accompanied by Police Minister Mark Ryan and senior police in the unannounced visit.
The border will be shut to NSW and ACT residents from 1am on Saturday.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski this morning said people attempting to cross the border after 1am Saturday – when the ban on travel from NSW, ACT and Victoria begins – will need to be very patient.
He said long delays should be expected.
“Don’t come to our borders as of 1am Saturday without an exemption and expect to get let into Queensland,” he said.
He said people retuning to Queensland should come back before 1am Saturday if they do not want to go into quarantine.
He said the “second defence” keeping Queenslanders safe is social distancing.
“Now is not the time for complacency,” Mr Gollschewski said.
He said yesterday’s COVID-19 compliance checks involved visiting 253 people. All but three were found to be compliant, with three matters still under investigation.